Well, you should see it! I just found a game that combines two of my biggest passions. Namely blowing the crap out of things in a roguelike setting and melodic music. Here we have a game that allows me to blow the crap out of things in the roguelike setting to screaming heavy metal. Today we break down the game Metal Tales : Overkill . But does it hit all the right notes? Well, let’s find out, shall we?

The story in Metal Tails : Overkill literally could not be simpler. A demon breaks out and infects all rock and metal fans, turning them into obnoxious minions. As a guitarist who is suddenly forced to watch as his (or her) musical family is turned into monsters, you set out to destroy the demon and his subordinates. This involves you going from bars to festivals, destroying all opponents until you reach your ultimate goal. Honestly, it’s all a bit corny, but I like it, and it doesn’t need to do anything special since it’s an action game. There’s enough there to give you an idea of what you’re doing, and that’s fine.

What’s really weird is that the intro is not told in English, while everything else in the game is in it. It’s not bad, it just sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe they didn’t have time to record the intro more than once before launching, but I hope they fix that later. The fact that it plays out like a comic book and all the text is in English makes the narration even weirder. It’s literally the only such thing in the game, so it’s all a little weird.

Metal Tales : Overkill is a title that doesn’t do anything particularly clever on its own. You swap whatever instrument of pain the other games give you for a guitar and run from room to room killing metal fans. They were possessed by demons, so it’s all for the greater good, but seriously. On top of that, the inevitable boss battles and the usual cheating shenanigans, giving you a different pass each time; there really isn’t a huge amount to mention. Any of you who know me know that this is my genre, and I play a hell of a lot of these games. That said, I’m always looking for something new in addition to the usual antics, and usually my jaded ass will mark a game for not standing out. In this case, I’m going to give Metal Tales a pass, and I’ll explain why in a moment.

The enemies you encounter don’t particularly stand out, but they’re all pretty well suited to their roles. From the sonic shooting guitarists to the stacks of speakers on spider legs to the screamers who throw a beam more than an 80’s mullet, it all fits the aesthetic very well. This is something that I think is really important, and also something that shouldn’t be an issue. You’d be surprised how many games I’ve played chasing a certain theme and then throwing a bunch of enemies at you that have absolutely nothing to do with it. Bosses are fun to fight, too. I’ve experienced much harder boss battles in other games, but honestly, it’s nice to face enemies that are challenging enough , without the crushing wall of pain that the developers seem to want to subject us to every time we get through a level.

Speaking of levels. Here’s where I’d like to see a little more. None of the levels are particularly large, and while they look nice, they get a little same. Most of the levels have a store, a challenge room, and a trap room. The stores still didn’t have anything I wanted. I can usually build my run around things I find in the levels, so there hasn’t been much reason to use them. The challenge rooms are fun. Here you get waves of enemies thrown at you that you need to defeat quickly. A quick finish gives you rewards, and they’re a nice distraction from clearing the room.

Finally, trap rooms aren’t always worth exploring. They may contain moving saws, jets of flame, or burning floor tiles. The thing is, they don’t always have the reward at the end of the gauntlet that you really want. By the time you might have lost a life or two and decide if you really want the prize, you’re stuck because you need to get back without dying. To me, when you get to the end of the room, the traps have to stop so you can get out. We have completed the task, please give us a break. Other than that, it’s a little bit so-so, fun, but not much to write about.

As you may have already realized, Metal Tales: Overkill is a fun but rather simple arcade shooter. The lack of any real innovation would normally be a disappointment, but in this case the game is a vehicle for something else that I think is really important. What makes Metal Tales: Overkill stand out as something worthwhile is the music. All of the tracks featured in this title are written by real metal bands; none of which are known to most of us. You can hear these tunes playing in the background as you walk (obviously), but cleverly and importantly, in my opinion, they can all be heard separately in the game’s extras.

Each band has its own biography and accompanying song. I think supporting those artists who aren’t necessarily new, but little known, is extremely important. The fact that you can learn about them and maybe follow someone else that you would never run into otherwise is absolutely great, and I sincerely wish we could see that in more games. These people need all the help they can get. When you play Metal Tales , you’re supporting these artists, and if you look at it that way, the game doesn’t need to break records because it serves a different purpose. One last point: I don’t think it’s a record company giving away money to gamers, there are much easier ways to do it, I truly believe it’s for bands.

So, Metal Tales : Overkill is a slightly above average roguelike that helps a very important cause. If you just want a good action game and don’t care about the music, it’s not really your thing. Go out and buy something like The Binding Of Isaac, you’ll have a lot more fun. If, on the other hand, you just want a fun game with a killer soundtrack that gives some really great bands a chance to get noticed, try it. If you’re not interested in the rock and metal genres, you probably won’t like it, but it should be pretty understandable since the whole game is built on that premise. Personally, I like that it champions music, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. It won’t win any awards, but it’s a great way to kill time and have some fun in the process.